In the past 15 years, jump roping or skip roping has become a popular sport in many European Countries, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Several official federations have been created such as the European Rope Skipping Organization (www.erso.org), the International Rope Skipping Federation (www.irsf.ca), and the United States Jump Rope Federation (www.usajumprope.org).  Jump roping continues to gain popularity due to its many athletic and mental benefits, some of which include:

  • Development of athletic skills such as endurance, speed, flexibility, and creativity
  • Improvement of motor coordination throughout the teenage years and in adulthood
  • Enhancement of cognitive abilities such as attention skills, speed of processing, goal setting, and self direction
  • Development of team work, positive attitude, and social skills
  • Selection from different types of events that match the athlete’s skills and talents such as individual, small group, and large group events.

In addition to the above benefits, the sport has practical benefits because:

  • It is contusive to all ages from the elementary years throughout adulthood
  • It incorporates boys and girls events and also co-ed events
  • It is inexpensive compared to other sports since the only specialized equipment requirements are the jump ropes
  • It does not require specialized training facilities; thus it offers great flexibility for training and allows year around participation
  • Teams can focus on demonstrations, competitions, or both